Islamists In America: Skilled at Hiding Common Roots

A group in Arizona connected to two major Muslim-American organizations is praising the Muslim Brotherhood as a “great Islamic movement.” This find helps expose a web of interconnected groups in the state that support the Islamist cause.

In 2008, federal prosecutors said that the Muslim American Society (MAS) “was founded as the overt arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in America.” This was confirmed by Abdurrahman Alamoudi, a convicted terrorist and admitted U.S. Muslim Brotherhood member, who said in 2012, “Everyone knows that MAS is the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The implications of this find are about more than MAS, though.

This MAS chapter shares an address with Masjid Es-Salaam, a mosque in the city of Chandler, Arizonia. According to the Salatomatic.comwebsite, MAS-AZ isn’t only based out of the mosque — it is actually “operated” by the chapter. This is supported by a photo of a sign on the mosque that identifies it as a “MAS Community & Youth Center.”

The basing of CAIR-AZ at the MAS-linked mosque is further evidence that CAIR is indeed a Muslim Brotherhood entity. In fact, Clarion also found that the Facebook page of CAIR-AZ’s chairman, Anas Hlayhel, has “liked” the Muslim Brotherhood’s current spiritual leader, Sheikh Yousef al-Qaradawi.

Hlayhel is the leader of yet another group in Arizona, a mosque named the Islamic Center of North East Valley in Scottsdale. That’s a total of four organizations in one network. They appear to be separate, but they are all inter-connected, with three of them sharing the same address.

This web is a microcosm of how the Islamist network, especially the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood, operates. Related organizations have their own paperwork and names in order to craft an image of independence. In actuality, they are all parts of the same machine. They share personnel, addresses, resources and pursue the same agenda.

Federal prosecutors saw this in 2008 during the prosecution of Sabri Benkhahla on terrorism charges. When Benkhahla was defended by CAIR and MAS, prosecutors pointed out in a court filing that they “omit reference to a shared background that limits their membership to those of a particular political bent, and undercuts their credibility.”

This article isn’t just about Arizona. It’s about the modus operandi of the Islamists and their skilled use of layering to hide their common roots.

Ryan Mauro is the ClarionProject.org’s National Security Analyst, a fellow with the Clarion Project and is frequently interviewed on top-tier TV stations as an expert on counterterrorism and Islamic extremism.

For too long has Pakistan provided safe haven to the Taliban and many terrorist organisations, but those days are over.

- Mike Pence Vice President, United States of America

To say that Islam and Islamism have nothing to do with it is to deny any responsibility to act to our fellow Muslims. We must help them, we must help them to fight within themselves these totalitarian ideologies of Salafism or the Muslim Brotherhood.

- Manuel Valls Former French prime minister

We are going to maintain our commitment on the ground [in Syria] as long as we need to, to support our partners and prevent the return of terrorist groups.

- Eric Pahon Pentagon spokesman

Those that adhere to this ideology are really irreligious criminals who use a perverted, what the president has called a ‘wicked’ interpretation of religion in an effort to recruit young, impressionable people to their cause.

- H.R. McMaster National Security Adviser

Female circumcision has nothing to do with frigidity but that doesn't mean I defend female circumcision. It's a crime in the full sense of the word, but it doesn't cause frigidity at all.

- Heba Kotb Certified Egyptian sex therapist & TV show host

Indonesian women who seek to serve their country by joining the security forces shouldn’t have to subject themselves to an abusive and discriminatory ‘virginity test’ to do so.

- Nisha Varia Indonesian women’s rights advocacy director

Recognizing that religion can be a primary motivator for terrorism need not lead to the unwarranted condemnation of Islam.

- Dr. Lorne Dawson Director of the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security, and Society

About

Films

The Clarion Project (formerly Clarion Fund) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating both policy makers and the public about the growing phenomenon of Islamic extremism. The Clarion Project is committed to working towards safeguarding human rights for all peoples.

Copyright 2018 Clarion Project Inc. All Rights Reserved

Sign up to our Newsletter

Clarion Project

Films

The Clarion Project (formerly Clarion Fund) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to educating both policy makers and the public about the growing phenomenon of Islamic extremism. The Clarion Project is committed to working towards safeguarding human rights for all peoples.